The Financial Times, Independent i and online edition of the Guardian report on the two rockets fired from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip at the city of Ashkelon early yesterday morning. Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defence system intercepted one rocket while the other landed in an open area. No group has yet taken responsibility for the rocket fire. The Financial Times reports Israel’s Air Force responded by striking two rocket-launching sites in northern Gaza.

The Times reveals leaked details of the report issued by the international chemical weapons experts charged with dismantling Syria’s chemical stockpile. The report details that the Assad regime had 1,230 unfilled chemical munitions ready for loading. There are also fears that a small amount of the chemical weapons may have fallen into opposition hands. However, the team are confident that Syria will comply with the strict timetable set out to disarm its chemical stockpile. The Telegraph online claims the international team has been prevented from reaching two of the 23 chemical sites, due to ongoing fighting..

The online edition of the Times covers a report by Credit Suisse Institute which found that Egyptians typically lost an eighth of their wealth during the year in which the country was ruled by Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood and that a quarter of the country now lives in poverty. The article says some Egyptian economists predict that the financial situation is even worse than the report claims.

The Guardian and Financial Times both report the British government will today unveil an Islamic bond plan set to launch next year, in attempt to make London a centre for Islamic finance. However, a government spokesman clarified that the Islamic bond would not encourage investments which discriminate against Israel.

The main item in this morning’s Israeli media is the imminent release of 26 long-term Palestinian prisoners later tonight, the second group to be freed in an overall agreement to release 104 prisoners as part of commitments to the Palestinian Authority (PA) paving the way for restarting peace talks. It is the front page story in Israel Hayom and Makor Rishon, both note the protest of two to three thousand people yesterday evening, against the release. Maariv focuses on the cabinet tensions over the release, with Jewish Home stridently opposing the move. In Yediot Ahronot, a two-page analysis of the political wrangling surrounding the release by Nahum Barnea calls it “more ridiculous than malicious… more negligence than clear thought, more opportunism than ideology.”

Israel Hayom gives prominence to the passing of a new law in the Knesset yesterday which permits couples to register their marriage with any local rabbinical council of their choice, having previously been required to do so in the locality of either the bride or groom. The change comes following pressure from the Tzohar national-religious rabbinical association and is viewed as a blow to the monopoly of the state’s ultra-Orthodox dominated religious establishment. Israel Hayom’s headline calls it “history made in religious services.” In a related item, Yediot Ahronot reports Yesh Atid intends to introduce legislation which would allow non-religious, civil marriage in Israel, which could pave the way for same-sex marriages and other forms of legally-recognised unions.

Israel Radio news says Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke yesterday with US President Barack Obama. The two leaders discussed the Iran nuclear issue, peace talks with the Palestinians and other regional items.